Bristol City make loan swoop for League One keeper

Championship side Bristol City have signed Wigan Athletic goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell on loan for the rest of the season.

O’Donnell signed with Wigan in the summer transfer window before the beginning of the season, joining the club as a free agent following a successful spell with Walsall.

The Englishman was immediately named as the starting keeper for the Latics, who hoped O’Donnell would provide a crucial spark in Wigan’s fight for promotion to The Championship.

However, after having only made only a handful of appearances with Wigan, O’Donnell was dropped in favour of veteran goalie Jussi Jaaskelainen, whose debut was against O’Donnell’s former team Walsall on October 3rd.

A return from a loan spell away from Wigan for keeper Lee Nicholls saw O’Donnell drop further down the pecking order, meaning club manager Gary Caldwell thought a loan move would be in the best interest of both O’Donnell and Wigan.

Speaking with Wigan’s club website, Caldwell said “the opportunity came up at Bristol for him to get some game time under his belt with their injury situation and we wish him all the best for the rest of the season. We will reassess everything in the summer.”

Due to Bristol City’s worsening injury situation, The Robins deemed a swift move for a keeper necessary, with O’Donnell immediately slotting into the club’s starting lineup against Preston North End only hours after completing a loan deal for the remainder of the 2015/16 season.

O’Donnell will certainly be familiar with Bristol City, having faced them while playing with Walsall in the 2015 Football League Trophy Final, a game in which O’Donnell’s side lost 2-0.